Branching Out: Engaging Forest Stakeholders through Collaborative Design
- 1. Branching Out: Engaging Forest Stakeholders through Collaborative Design Created by: Brady Bender, Han Ding, & Michael Reiterman Advisor: Heather Kulp Fall 2016
- 2. How to use this tool • Begin by putting the Powerpoint in “Slide Show” mode. • Green boxes containing text are buttons. Try it out by clicking on the box below. • Forward arrow buttons ( ) at the bottom of the screen will advance you to the next relevant slide. If there is not a forward arrow button, you should use the backward arrow or home button. • Backward arrow buttons ( ) at the bottom of the screen will return you to the last slide you viewed. • Any additional buttons will clearly note their slide destination. • The home button ( ) will return you to the upcoming Home slide. • This tool is intended for use as a decision tree. Slides are not meant to be viewed consecutively. Please click through the tool rather than using your keyboard arrow buttons. • Click the forward arrow button now. Text
- 3. Background • Fall 2016 Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Program (“HNMCP”) students created this tool at the request of the National Forest Foundation (“NFF”) to address the felt problem of stakeholder disengagement from forest collaboration. • Key questions to address: 1. Why do stakeholders engage in collaboratives? 2. Why do stakeholders disengage from collaboratives? 3. What structures and strategies can collaboratives use to promote engagement?
- 4. Purpose • To aid communities in designing a collaborative process that enables ongoing, effective stakeholder engagement.
- 5. Methodology Our findings are supported by: Findings 27 stakeholder interviews 5 focus groups 2 collaborative meeting observations Review of collaborative history and materials Academic research
- 6. Findings: Why Stakeholders Engage Stakeholders engage in collaboratives… 1. to more effectively achieve their goals; 2. to learn and share information; and/or 3. to build relationships.
- 7. Findings: Why Stakeholders Disengage Stakeholders disengage when a collaborative… 1. does not manage conflict well; 2. does not make participants feel important to the collaborative process; 3. demands more time than they can commit; 4. lacks strong relationships with government agencies; and/or 5. is perceived to be ineffective in meeting goals.
- 8. General Recommendations 1. Keep working groups as small as possible while meeting core interests. 2. Invest in integrating new participants into the collaborative process. 3. Engage in ongoing monitoring and adaptation of the collaborative process. 4. Establish a strong foundational relationship with the Forest Service.
- 9. Situation-Specific Recommendations 1. First design the collaborative process to address the collaborative’s work goal. 2. Next, tailor the collaborative process to address barriers to stakeholder engagement. 3. When designing a collaborative process: a. Ensure that collaborative design meets legal requirements. b. Establish clear communication guidelines within and between collaboratives. c. Clarify reporting mechanisms and decision-making authority across collaboratives.
- 10. Home About this tool • Groups can modify or combine elements as desired. • Groups can use elements in an individual meeting or over the course of a collaborative process. • Groups should use this tool as a starting point for discussion. The elements identified are suggestions, not prescriptions and, by reviewing this tool together, groups may come up with their own elements or ideas about how to address collaborative goals and barriers to engagement.
- 11. Choosing a Decision-Making Factor Work Goal Barriers to Engagement Groups should make decisions based on their goal if: • They are starting a new collaboratives. • They are generally having problems meeting community needs. • They are not sure what’s stopping stakeholders from engaging. Groups should make decisions based on their barriers to engagement if: • They know what specifically is causing stakeholder dissatisfaction. (E.g., time management, feeling of unimportance, etc.) • They have identified specific challenges interfering with collaborative effectiveness. (E.g., Forest Service relationship, participant conflict, etc.) • They have already taken into account the group goal.
- 12. Goal-Based Decisions: Identifying Work Goal • Goals can be identified based on: • Outside request • Previous collaborative vision • Community interest • Conveners and groups should further define their work goal by asking the following questions: • What would success look like? • What work must be done to achieve success? • How will we contribute to ensuring success?
- 13. Goal-Based Decisions: What is the work goal of the group? Community Engagement Making Recommendations Supporting Project Implementation Other
- 14. Supporting Project Implementation Local Working Groups Mini-Collaboratives Subcommittees Back to All Goals
- 15. Community Engagement Liaison Outreach Technology-based Collaboration Public Forum Meeting in a Box Back to All Goals
- 16. Making Recommendations Mini- Collaboratives Local Working Groups Subcommittees Independent Advisors Leadership Committee Back to All Goals
- 17. Barrier-Based Decisions: Identifying Barriers • Barriers can be identified based on: • Monitoring and evaluation • Historical knowledge • Reflection and discussion • Groups should consider the following questions to help identify barriers: • Which stakeholders are not adequately represented right now? What might prevent them from participating? • Among involved stakeholders, what might stop them from participating more effectively?
- 18. Barrier-Based Decisions: What barrier to engagement will the group confront? Ensuring stakeholders feel important to the process Building relationships with government agencies Other Managing stakeholder conflict Ensuring stakeholders have time to participate Improving perceptions of process effectiveness
- 19. Conflict Management Facilitated Negotiation Participant Coaching Team-building Activities Caucusing Mentoring Back to All Barriers
- 20. Stakeholders’ Sense of Importance Subcommittees Participant Coaching Caucusing Mentoring Team-building Activities Back to All Barriers
- 21. Time Management Independent Advisors Subcommittees Local Working Groups Technology-based Collaboration Leadership Committee Back to All Barriers
- 22. Forest Service Relationships Independent Advisors Leadership Committee Participant Coaching Liaison Outreach Back to All Barriers
- 23. Perceptions of Effectiveness Independent Advisors Leadership Committee Subcommittees Local Working Groups Mini- Collaboratives Team-building Activities Back to All Barriers
- 24. Caucusing What is it? Members who share a common interest convene separately from the rest of the collaborative in order to discuss an issue or create a proposal for the larger collaborative.
- 25. Caucusing Why use it? • Enables groups to communicate and clarify their interests apart from the entire collaborative. • Allows ideas and concerns to be voiced in a smaller settings and then reported back to collaborative, potentially increasing efficiency or time management. When? Collaboratives can use caucusing when… • They want to test proposals with various representatives before submitting to the larger group. • Interest groups in a larger collaborative are in conflict with one another and caucusing may allow them to address each other’s concerns.
- 26. Caucusing How? • Consider involving even stakeholders who might not otherwise participate in the collaborative process. • Identify an appropriate level of generality. Caucusing may involve a broad interest group or smaller interest groups, like members of a particular environmental organization. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 27. Facilitated Negotiation What is it? Facilitated negotiation enlists a neutral third party to moderate conversations and resolve conflicts between stakeholders.
- 28. Facilitated Negotiation Why use it? • Improves relationships between stakeholders • Reduces unproductive arguments • Helps resolve interpersonal conflicts that may prevent agreement on substantive topics When? Collaboratives can use facilitated negotiation when… • An interpersonal conflict arises between two or more members (whether in group meetings, over email chains, or on traditional and social media).
- 29. Facilitated Negotiation How? • Select a neutral third party to reach out to the members involved in conflict. This party may be facilitator or another collaborative member who both parties perceive as neutral in the conflict. • Listen to stakeholders separately before bringing them together to discuss their differences. • Empathize with all sides but evaluate none. • Remind them and the larger group of their group norms regarding civil behavior. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 30. Independent Advisors What is it? An independent group of experts advises, trains, or otherwise supports stakeholders in a collaborative.
- 31. Independent Advisors Why use it? • Lends expertise and informs the collaborative of best practices in collaboration • Counsels collaborative on process and content When? Collaboratives can use enlist independent advisors when… • They want outside expertise in establishing collaborative procedures. • They want to increase collaborative efficiency and effectiveness by learning from best practices.
- 32. Independent Advisors How? • Identify only a single advisor if this meets the collaborative’s needs. • Recruit independent advisors who study collaboration generally or specialize in the collaborative’s focus area. • Consider partnering with another collaborative to appoint a joint group of advisors. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 33. Leadership Committee What is it? A leadership committee undertakes administrative or management activities, such as financing, agenda-setting, delegation, and final decision-making. Various collaboratives may refer to it as a steering committee, an executive committee, an organizing committee, or a board of directors.
- 34. Leadership Committee Why use it? • Reduces the workload on individual stakeholders by centralizing administrative tasks • Streamlines a collaborative’s decision-making • Creates sense of continuity when a process involves multiple small groups that convene and disband as each meets its goals When? Collaboratives can use a leadership committee when… • Administrative tasks distract a collaborative from getting more substantive work done. • A process requires an overarching structure to coordinate multiple subgroups, perform oversight, and communicate with the Forest Service.
- 35. Leadership Committee How? • Consider how to select leaders. Groups may elect leaders; leaders may volunteer; or a convener or facilitator may identify them. • Ensure that the leadership committee is representative of the broader stakeholder interests to avoid causing other members of the collaborative to feel left out. • Establish clear procedures for communication between the leadership committee and the larger collaborative. • Clearly define the scope of the leadership committee’s decision- making authority. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 36. Liaison Outreach What is it? A collaborative sends a representative n to participate in an external group’s meetings and present collaborative work to that group. The representative then reports back the external group’s news and feedback to her collaborative.
- 37. Liaison Outreach Why use it? • Allows more members of a stakeholder group to provide input to collaborative work, including those unable or reluctant to join in the ongoing collaborative process. • Helps build a collaborative’s credibility in a community by keeping others informed about the collaborative’s efforts. When? Collaboratives can use liaison outreach when… • They want to solicit the expertise of stakeholders who cannot be adequately represented by a small number of representatives. • They want to persuade external stakeholder groups to support or implement the collaborative’s recommendations. • They want to keep stakeholder groups supporting forest stewardship on the same page.
- 38. Liaison Outreach How? • Host a liaison training session to promote quality communication between the liaison, the collaborative, and the external group. • Pre-schedule liaison report-outs to the whole collaborative to ensure active communication. • Encourage strong relationships between liaisons and external stakeholder groups by selecting liaisons who have pre-existing credibility with the external group or asking the liaison to connect with that group’s leadership before beginning work. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 39. Local Working Group What is it? Local working groups are small groups organized around participants’ proximity to one another within a geographical region.
- 40. Local Working Group Why use it? • Provides a platform for local interests within a larger regional collaborative group. • Enables locally based participants to meet and work together more easily. When? Collaboratives can use local working groups when… • They want to implement, monitor, or manage a project with a local focus. • Collaborative members find it convenient to meet because of their proximity to one another, whether working on a local or non-local project.
- 41. Local Working Group How? • Seek regional and national input on whether a goal is appropriate for local work, as non-local interests may not be immediately obvious. • Establish clear reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency, legitimacy, and accountability to those outside of the local working group. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 42. Meeting in a Box What is it? A meeting in a box provides individuals outside a collaborative with materials and information that allows them to host their own meetings or information-gathering sessions with other interested stakeholders outside the collaborative. These individuals then return the completed materials to the collaborative after use.
- 43. Meeting in a Box Why use it? • Enables citizen groups to meet at a convenient time and place to provide input into collaborative work • Lowers barriers to entry for participation • Promotes greater engagement with the community When? Collaboratives can use a meeting in a box when… • They want to gather initial ideas about what is important to a community. • They want to solicit feedback on a project. • They want engage more members of the community.
- 44. Meeting in a Box How? • Create a “Frequently Asked Questions” document or resources to aid citizens in using it. • Consider posting the meeting-in-a-box kit on the Internet or distributing hard copies at convenient locations. • In the kit, include directions for individuals interested in hosting or facilitating a meeting, discussion prompts, participant response form, feedback surveys, and instructions on how to record and return responses. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 45. Mentoring Ne w Ne w Ol d Ol d What is it? Mentoring assigns a more experienced member to share insight and experience with a less experienced member.
- 46. Mentoring Ne w Ne w Ol d Ol d • Why use it? • Integrates new participants into the collaborative • Builds working relationships between participants • Increases group effectiveness by helping new participants learn about how they can contribute most valuably • When? Collaboratives can use mentoring when… • They experience frequent turnover in stakeholder representation. • Stakeholders quickly disengage from the collaborative process. • New stakeholders are reticent or reluctant to fully participate in the collaborative.
- 47. Mentoring Ne w Ne w Ol d Ol d How? • Assign mentoring pairs based on group affinity, personal connection, or shared interests. • Provide initial training for mentors regarding best practices and topics that mentors should discuss with mentees. • Check in on the status of mentoring relationships regularly to refresh the assignment of mentors to better match newcomers. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 48. Mini-Collaborative What is it? Small groups organized to include one or two representatives from each of the broad types of stakeholders involved.
- 49. Mini-Collaborative Why use it? • Retains larger collaborative’s diversity of viewpoints through representative sampling • Enables nimbler decision-making that reduces time- management problems • Encourages participation from members who do not or cannot engage in larger group settings When? Collaboratives can split into mini-collaboratives when… • They want to tackle isolated components of a larger project. • A task or project does not require the entire group to reach consensus or agreement.
- 50. Mini-Collaborative How? • Ensure that the mini-collaborative is representative of the larger group. • Be thoughtful about how to classify stakeholder types (e.g., environmentalists or industry representatives) and who belongs to each type. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 51. Participant Coaching What is it? A facilitator or neutral party meets with an individual member between meetings to advise them on group procedures, norms, and values.
- 52. Participant Coaching Coach Coach Why use it? • Educates individual members on group procedure and behavioral norms, and productive participation • Addresses individual concerns that may not be relevant for whole-group discussion When? Collaboratives can use participant coaching when… • An individual member has a concern not relevant to the collaborative group as a whole • An individual member has difficulty participating effectively in the group. • An individual member misunderstands or acts contrary to the group’s norms.
- 53. Participant Coaching Coach Coach How? • A facilitator or neutral party discreetly reaches out to an individual member and suggests a coaching session between collaborative meetings. • Over the course of one or more coaching sessions, the facilitator or neutral party discusses the individual member’s concerns and models productive participation. • Coaching can also take place through informal conversations. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 54. Public Forum What is it? A public forum is a meeting where any member of the public may attend, hear information about a proposal, and voice their opinion on an issue.
- 55. Public Forum Why use it? • Engages a large number of stakeholders in setting goals, establishing procedures, or vetting collaborative group proposals • Reduces barriers to entry for community members who wish to contribute to the process because these events are generally limited in duration When? Collaboratives can use a public forum when… • They want to gather information from the public efficiently. • They want to involve members of the public who are not yet involved directly with the collaborative process.
- 56. Public Forum How? • Enlist a facilitator or train members to run the forum. • Brainstorm and prepare for possible issues or conflicts that may arise. • Identify methods for the public to carry over their engagement with the collaborative after the public forum ends. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 57. Subcommittee What is it? A subcommittee is a subdivision of a larger collaborative with specialized areas of interest or expertise.
- 58. Subcommittee Why use it? • Creates smaller groups that enable stakeholders to work more efficiently and effectively • Focuses stakeholders’ expertise and effort on a particular collaborative goal When? Collaboratives can use a subcommittee when… • The larger group is unnecessary to achieve a task or goal. • A particular task or project requires specialized expertise or working closely with outside experts.
- 59. Subcommittee How? • Recruit members with an interest in the question, task, or area to be addressed and requisite time and expertise. Consider including stakeholders who are not involved in the collaborative process. • Identify a leader or facilitator to help the subcommittee establish and observe group norms and processes. • Designate a point of contact from the subcommittee to the larger collaborative or leadership group. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 60. Team-building Activities What is it? Formal or informal outings meant to forge personal relationships between the collaborative’s members.
- 61. Team-building Activities Why use it? • Encourages connections among collaborative members that can improve working relationships • Fosters relationships that promote stakeholder engagement When? Collaboratives can use team-building activities when… • They want to “break the ice” when first forming a collaborative. • They want to promote or maintain relationships between collaborative members.
- 62. Team-building Activities How? • Team-building activities can include drinks at a pub, day-long outings to the areas affected by the collaborative group’s work, or weekend retreats, among other activities. • Team-building activities need not include all members of the collaborative. Instead, schedule activities frequently and encourage members to participate as they are able. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 63. Technology-based Collaboration What is it? Technology-based collaboration leverages digital tools and resources. Online, this includes teleconferencing, video chats, email, or webinars. In-person, meetings may employ audience-participation devices, such as clickers to anonymize voting.
- 64. Technology-based Collaboration Why use it? • Reduces barriers to entry for collaborative participants like time and cost of travel. • Enables a larger number of people to participate in the collaborative process. • Equips the collaborative group with tools to track conversations, anonymize voting, and provide online spaces for individuals to discuss items one-on-one in parallel to the larger meeting. When? Collaboratives can use technology-based collaboration when… • Distance discourages stakeholder attendance. • Large numbers of stakeholders want to participate in a collaborative process. • They want to broadcast information tothe public at large.
- 65. Technology-based Collaboration How? • Use technology most accessible and familiar to the intended users in order to reach a broad audience. • Conduct a trial run of individuals’ comfort with technology during an in-person meeting to ease transition to subsequent tech-based collaboration. • Congregate small local groups of participants to meet in the same physical location, where they confer with each other while communicating with others online. All BarriersAll Goals For more information, view outside materials.
- 66. Other Goal or Barrier? • This tool accounts for the most common collaborative goals and barriers to engagement. • To address another goal or barrier, you can: View a list of all elements included in this tool. Refer to suggested outside materials and resources. All BarriersAll Goals
- 67. All Elements Independent Advisors Caucusing Facilitated Negotiation Subcommittees Leadership Committees Liaison Outreach Local Working Groups Meeting in a Box Mentoring Mini- Collaboratives Participant Coaching Public Fora Team-building Activities Technology-based Collaboration Other All BarriersAll Goals
- 68. Outside Materials and Resources Public Participation Toolkit, from The Public Participation Handbook by Jim Creighton, p. 85–137. Available online. Public Participation Toolbox, from the International Association for Public Participation. Available online. Effective Engagement Toolkit, from the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, The State of Victoria. Available online. “Collaborative Designs for Solving Shared Problems” and “Collaborative Designs for Resolving Conflicts,” from Collaborating: Finding Common Ground for Multiparty Problems, by Barbara Gray. Available in stores. All BarriersAll Goals
- 69. Success! Now click on the arrow button at the bottom of the slide to return to the previous slide.